Replacing and Upgrading a Notebook LCD Screen (pics)

A broken screen on your laptop means that a perfectly good machine might be rendered unusable. But rather than buying an entirely new laptop, it is possible to replace the broken screen and indeed vendors exist that dedicate themselves entirely to the service of providing laptop screen replacements. One such company is ScreenTek, who aside from just offering replacements for broken screens, also offer upgrading your matte screen to the popular glossy enhanced screen finish -- even for notebooks that don't offer this as a configuration direct from the manufacturer.

Replacing a Broken LCD

The average cost of a laptop is somewhere around $1,100 these days. Some are much more than that and some are less of course. So if you drop your laptop and break the screen, an unfortunate accident that I'm sureyou know of someone it's happened to, the assumption is often that it's time to buy a new laptop. But this doesn't have to be the case. LCD displaysare one of the more delicate components of a laptop computer and in the past most expensive, but prices have been dropping and now the average replacement costfor an LCD is in the$300to $450range -- that's a whole lot cheaper than $1,100 it costs to buy a completely new laptop.

But where can you buy these replacement LCD panels and get them installed? One such place that we tried out is ScreenTek Ltd. ScreenTek is based in Houston, TX and carry a large inventory of LCD panel replacements for every major notebook manufacturer out there. If you don't see a particular manufacturer listed on their website then you can call, email or use their onlinechat feature to ask a representative if they can help you find a screen replacement for a particular laptop.

Once you've found your screen replacement on the ScreenTek site you have the option of either:

1. Shipping your laptop to ScreenTek and paying them to install the new LCD replacement.
2. Asking ScreenTek to ship you the LCD replacement panel and then referring you to a repair shop physically close to you that can do the replacement work.
3. Asking ScreenTek to ship you the LCD replacement panel and provide instructions on how to do the replacement yourself.

You'll have to contact ScreenTek and get a quote on the total cost for each option. Some instructions for removing an LCD panel are actually on the ScreenTek website so you can get a feel for how complicated the process might be and if you feel you might be able to do the replacement yourself or ask the pros to do it. In my communication with ScreenTek they emphasized that doing the work of replacing an LCD yourself is not terribly hard and you can certainly save yourself money and time by taking this route.

Another thing worth mentioning about taking the route of replacing a brokenLCD versus just throwing out a laptop,laptops are terrible for the environment in terms of disposal so if you're a bit "green" minded you might like the fact you'll save on pollution if you fix rather than throw away your machine.

Upgrading Your Regular Matte Screen to Glossy

In the past couple of years we've seen the rise of the popular glossy type notebook screen. Each manufacturer has its own name for these types of screens, Sony is XBrite, HP is BrightView, Fujitsu is CrystalView / SuperFine, Toshiba is TruBrite ... and so on. Sometimes you'll find that a manufacturer does not offer the glossy screen upgrade for your particular notebook and sometimes you'll configure your notebook with a regular screen (matte) and then later on wish you had ordered glossy. Good news, if you really want a glossy screen but find two of the mentioned cases are true for you, you're not stuck, ScreenTek offers an upgrade service for any laptop from matte screen to glossy.

To test ScreenTek's overall service we askedthem to upgrade our Dell Inspiron B130 matte screen notebook to a glossy screen (ScreenTek calls a glossy screen PixelBright).

Shown here is the Dell B130 with its standard matte anti-glare screen -- the only option via Dell is WXGA matte, no TrueLife glossy option

On the Dell website for the B130 there is no option to upgrade the screen to a glossy finish, or what Dell calls "TrueLife". This is a shame as many people actually go for this option when configuring a laptop. The glossy screen is especially popular for consumer notebooks due to the better contrast, brighter and bolder colors and generally better viewing angles such screens provide. The downside of a glossy screen is thatthe reflection of objects and lights in a room can be distracting for some -- especially in a roomwhere you havedirect bright light from behind. However,in a situation with even lighting or a dark room the glossy screen really stands out as being superior to a typical matte screen (anti-glare).

We sent our matte screen Dell B130 to ScreenTek, they returned it promptly within a weekin the same box we shipped the notebook in, and returned it with a plastic screen protector on the newly installed glossy screen, a foam keyboard protection piece and the old screen they replacedbubble-wrapped (view larger image)

As you can see, after the screen upgrade the Dell Inspiron B130 has the reflective quality we associate to a glossy screen (view larger image)

The Dell B130 Playingthe movie Shrek II after glossy screen treatment from ScreenTek (view larger image)

There are three different pricing scenarios ScreenTek provides for purchasing a high-gloss notebook screen. Following are those options:

1. You havea laptop which does not have a high-gloss screen. Your screen works fine soyou are not purchasing a replacement screen, but only sending in the laptop so thatthe screen can be upgradedvia application of a polar filter that provides the glossy effect. This option is $100.
   
   
2. You havea laptop which does not have a high-gloss screen and the screen is broken. Ifyou go to the ScreenTek website and finda replacement screen, it would be the price of this identical screen + $50 for the upgrade.
   
   
3. You have a laptop which does have a high-gloss screen and the screen is broken. If you go tothe website and find the replacement screen, it would just be the price of this identical screen because the identical screen your replacing already has ahigh-gloss finishand as such is alreadyfactored into the price of this replacement part.

For further information on the glossy upgrade screen service from ScreenTek you can visit their website here: http://www.screentekinc.com/pixelbright-lcds.shtml. You should contact ScreenTek for any further questions you have regarding pricing and service options.

In our experience with using ScreenTek to upgrade the B130 screen we found their communication and professionalism fantastic. The representative I worked with was very good at communicating, it turned out the replacement screen I needed was not in stock immediately because the B130 is so new, but the turnaround was still fast -- a week, and everything was communicated clearly. The B130 was returned well packaged and the results of having a glossy screen are great. The B130 screen is noticeably brighter and the colors more brilliant than before. The B130 screen does not have that great a backlight or contrast, so the glossy option actually really helped to make the screen more appealing.

Pricing and Availability

Please visit ScreenTek for further information on pricing and availability of your specific needs of either a broken screen replacement or for upgrading your screen to a glossy type screen:

Main ScreenTek site: http://www.screentekinc.com

Glossy screen upgrade: http://www.screentekinc.com/pixelbright-lcds.shtml

 

Nice service for those who have buyer's remorse about getting a matte display.

 

Wow thats fantastic, I never knew a service like this existed. Thanks abaxter

 

i wonder how much it would be to make a z70va glossy

 

well it says the service is $100 for non-matte screens. i'm assuming the price is for all screens of all makes.

this seems like an interesting option and makes me want to consider adding a glossy screen to my z70va as well

 

Can this place stuff a higher resolution laptop screen in my desktop lcd

 

I know some people are interested in going back to a matte screen who have had glossy. I wonder if they could make a glossy matte instead of the other way around. My guess is they could but it would involve replacing the entire screen.

 

They can replace LCD panels and in some cases get you a higher res model, from what I can tell. Might be worth contacting them if you're serious about it.

 

making my z70va a high res glossy screen. oh man, that would be something! i'll wait till the warranty expires tho. i do wonder if adding the glossy thing would make it thicker as they obviously place something on or in to the screen. any idea on this? also, would they add a glossy thing to desktop lcds? that'd be pretty cool too. dunno if it'd actually do much, but it'd be cool.

 

From the looks of it, I think they spray something onto your existing screen for 100 dollars or you could buy a completely new screen for like 500.

 

I'm really considering making my screen glossy. After all this time, I have come to like them much better than matte screens.

Thanks for the great info!

 

hmmm im really considering this for a z70va because the only downside is its matte screen

abaxtor i assume the b130 was just the $100 process? would u say its as good as comps shipped with a glossy screen?

 

Hmm . .wait a second. I've been browsing through their site. Only the Fujitsu notebooks can get upgraded to a Fujitsu CrystalView, correct? And that goes for the Toshiba TruBrite as well?

My Sager has a WSXGA+ matte, I was wondering if I could get it fitted with a CrystalView polarizer.

Thanks,

 

im considering doing this to my i9300. Matte is ok but I feel like im missing out without a glossy screen.

 

Not to discourage, but Pricing seems ridiculouly high to me.
Example V2000 screen is $375+ Installation charges. Some gateway screens as high as $545(nothing exotic 15.4" 1280x800), costlier than laptop bestbuy is selling with same 15.4" screen. May be if we better of buy a cheap lappie and swap the screen if we could.

Allmost price of the laptop or sometimes more than the new laptop, just for the screen? Or am I missing something.

 

if ur screen is working u can get it glossy for $100

the review has a new screen though eh im going to look into it

 

if anyone ever does this to a z70va, please be sure to take some pics because i'm very interested in it

 

quick question: would this void my warranty on my i9300?

 

Good question.

 

most likely it will. but if it doesnt, dell probably wont cover anything that happens to the new screen since that wasnt done in house by them.

 

Bleh I dont know if I should get my i9300 glossy or just buy a dell 2005fpw (whatever its called)

 

the screen does not become thicker. the reason is b/c all LCD screens (notebook, TVs, flat panel monitors) have a thin film layed on top of the glass called a polarizer. when a screen is being high-glossed the original matte polarizer is removed and a high-gloss polarizer is placed on it instead. also, this is done in a clean room to make sure that particles do not get under the polarizer.

 

klb since i assume ur knowlege on the topic, new join date, and location mean you work for the company. do your screens look as good as new? and also the review said his screen was out of stock. whats the return time to have this done. still a week?

 

So would the reverse (from a glossy->matte polarizer replacement) on 17" desktop replacement notebooks also be possible & cost about the same ($100 if LCD is otherwise fine) ? :base:

(Glossy is workable so far for my handheld 3.7" LCD Axim X51v but I still don't like all the glare produced by large glossy screens during the day for a desktop replacement notebook surrounded by many windows or office-level lighting & even many GPS car mountable handheld units come specifically anti-glare as sunlight is bound to cause problematic glare.)

 

i would just e-mail the company and ask

 

I am interested possibly in doing this.

I wanted to clear somethig up though. On thier site they mention Dell's TruBrite. Do they actually offer exactly that? I ask because I would think only Dell could offer that. Maybe I don't understand it right but will they give you precisely a Dell TruBrite screen if you want one?

Also, not to ask a dumb question but changing a screen simply from matte to glossy would not improve viewing angles or anything would it?
Thanks

 

Their site says "Dell TruBrite style screens." And, yes...adding a glossy screen to your laptop would increase the viewing angles. Their website explains it..

http://www.screentekinc.com/pixelbright-lcds.shtml#advantages

 

anyone do this to a z70va yet

 

Liars they are.

 

Ok so I finally called ScreenTek today (inspired by thread http://forum.notebookreview.com/showthread.php?t=46878 + personal interest) & have good news to report:

1) ScreenTek does also do glossy->matte for the same price as the reverse ($100 + shipping - note they are located in Houston, TX, USA however ; see http://www.screentekinc.com/contact-us.shtml ). Perhaps there are also other local companies for those far away/outside USA that can do this as well so one is not stuck with a screen finish they do not like.

 

Sorry, I already posted this link in another thread but it just fits here perfectly:

How To Replace A Broken Laptop or Notebook Display
http://www.mobilityguru.com/2006/02/...ebook_display/